Fan Fix for Squeaks and Gigs

My daughter got pretty pokey with the buttons on our 3-speed oscillating fan, so the buttons no longer latch when you press them. I know fans are fairly inexpensive, but I wanted to fix it because I like fixing things and I hate throwing out things like fans.

Because I was pretty sure that it would be hard or impossible to find the same switch assembly, I was going to just bypass the 3-speed switches and install an on-off switch for the lowest setting, which is the only one I use with this fan. But while looking for a switch, I found a pull-chain ceiling fan replacement switch, which seemed like an easy way to keep the three speeds.

Fig. 1. Wiring diagram for new switch, numbered the same as the old switch.

The original, non-working switch assembly had four connections: line, 1, 2, and 3. The ceiling fan had the same four connections, labeled as such on the housing. I marked the wires, snipped them, soldered the ends for stiffness (which was necessary for this switch) stripped them and inserted them into the new switch. I wrapped it in electrical tape, drilled a hole next to the non-working buttons (which I left in place to avoid having to cover four holes), and mounted it (using a washer for safe measure, since there isn't much difference between the diameter of the threads and the diameter of the brass ferrule.

Fig. 2. Finished product. It'll do.

It's not pretty, and it's a little less convenient than the buttons, but it was a cheap quick fix, and it works for my purposes.